Aiza Salat

Nwa Kiryust Aiza Salat, Esq

"The Nwa Kiryust loomed through the corridors of that house whenever we would visit Marun. The week of his death, when we visited her, he was more so, refusing us the cutesy of a smile or getting, and refusing to take his patchy green coat off. Later, once we returned to home, me and my sister thought he was going through his bursts of extreme paranoia, as he was known to do, but only to hear from our father that Salat was dead. No wonder our papa took Marun into our family so greatly when she wed"

— Nwarin Maböni, Kazhan Hanplàni

Aiza Salat was the Nwa Kiryust of the Ugane Empire from 2209 until his death in 2220. He also performed many duties, such as sitting on the Council of Strangers alongside Nwa Freba Ōsnå Naekh and Zhepïn Gloka Unagitsyo. An additional duty he had, as he also was Nwa Znarv, was chronicling the emperor's many affairs.

Life and Times

Born in Sìltimi in 2178, the oldest of 12 children but besides that there is little on his childhood for two reasons. Firstly, he came from a poor fishing family on the Empire's frontier and he also, during his life, tried to expunge his name from any record possible due to his paranoia.
The next time he shows up on record is for his marriage in 2202 to Ikyu Trart, another islander and arranged as per Kyisafu tradition. From this union was born his beloved daughter Mìshli, who preferred to go by the nickname Marun. Due to Aiza's sexuality and desire for adventure, he left his wife and Sìtilmi a year later for good, reuniting with his daughter 6 years after that.
He got a job in the Dnan Kastav managing the records for the convicted. During that time, he lost his eye in a duel of honour, which would later mean that society thought him untrustworthy more than they already did because he swiftly rose through the ranks. By the end of 2206, he'd already been seen in the retineu of the Royal Archivist. Seen as intelligent and unique, he stood out to Emperor Mayua III Lyu 'the magnificent' of the Ugane Empire and was invited into his inner circle, gaining the roles of Royal Archivist and his place by the emperor’s side in Dnan Yamtu by the summer of 2207.
Because of the death of his wife, in the 8th month of 2208, he made a visit up the coast to retrieve his young daughter. Now with his newly gained influence and wealth (for the emperor liked to give the Council lavish gifts) he spent costly on his daughter's education and wellbeing, being known for spoiling her when she was young. Between this and gaining more work assignments, he had his first encounter with Dunan Sugishuv, who'd continue to be Aiza's on-off lover for the rest of his short life.
At the start of 2229, the emperor opened the year, as per usual, with the Hikopu ceremony. During this year, he gave honours to the young Engwa Hodenay for his travel logs, claimed Gloka's young daughter as one of his own, and most importantly, gave Aiza and Osna their primary titles of Nwa Kiryust and Freba. Aiza’s new job was like his last, though he now had both the job of recording the emperor's trysts but also doing extensive background on them so that there would be limited scandal for his majesty's name. He had many other duties as well but most notably he also reviewed all works of theatre put to stage, censoring many of the lines from Humpil the Bloody, as it was a vague political criticism of her successor, Hitanu Lyu's, many law reforms.
The role was perfect for him. He had many contacts in the underworld of Vost, as before the world knew. He drank a lot and partook in debaucheries too vulgar for anyone in polite society such as his solicitation of male prostitutes. Salat also appeared to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the record’s library within Dnan Kastav so could easily. Plus, he seemed to have an uncanny ability to know all secrets in the court, creating the phrase ‘a one-eyed man hears the ants’. On the 4th day of 7th month, 4 men murdered Aiza Salat while in Luze during a precession towards The Temple to Hasalah. He was stabbed 27 times. The government hung the 4 men only a week after his death.

Legacy

The Theatre

He began a new wave of censorship, wishing to protect the satirists from using the emperor's infidelity and general eccentricity against him. He also censored works that pertained to the Council of Strangers and their unique and highly scorned position in politics. Despite that, the King's Theatre in Vost, renamed itself the Salat Theatre in honour of him. The play Mereni Etha, while mainly about the pirate queen who the play is named for, also has Calan Balo play a major part. The playwright, Glanch Mutaf, was said to based Balo on Aiza Salat because of their apparently shared temperament, Aiza being one-eyed and generally looking like a pirate.

Kyisafu Culture

His rise to prominence meant a newly found interest in the Kyisafu culture of the North-West of the Ugane empire, which continues to this day.

The Paranoid and his Debaucheries

Aiza's name is primarily associated with his paranoia, assuming that all the people he'd blackmailed would come at his back. Due to this, he spent large periods unable to sleep anywhere besides Vidama Chamber of the Dnan Yamtu. He also expected his few servants to taste every meal before he ate in so that he would not be poisoned. However, because of his death, many of his secrets also were displayed before the world. In his early years in Vost, he’d spend most of his days boozing heavily, soliciting male prostitutes, and taking in the underworld of Vost. Rumours spread. He also involved himself in the crime of this so-called underworld, though that is not exactly true.

Relationships

Despite his paranoia, he kept a few intimate relationships.

Marun Salat

Marun and he were very close in the 12 years they were living together. She appreciated him for giving her a world-class education and for his own intelligence, teaching her things that she wouldn't have been taught in a classroom such as how to forage and fish even despite her sex. However, she often scorned him for isolating himself (also isolating her from much of society) and later felt ashamed, as many of his secrets were exposed to the world, despite him trying to hide and remove them.

Ōsnå Naekh

Ōsnå’s friendship with Salat was always a private matter, as many around them thought the pair were enemies because of the cold manners in which they received each other, at least in public. But they were very close throughout the years. The Salats often spent summers in Zofia with the large Naekh family when possible.

Rizga Naekh

Because of the number of times the Naekh matriarch received Aiza, they grew to become close friends. He adored her resilience, indifference, and cracking wit. She also helped provide information towards some of the emperor’s mistresses as she often knew the new money Thoklia merchant families who often caught the eye of his majesty (as their families deliberately put there them).

Engwa Hodenay

They weren’t exactly close as their personalities and Aiza’s paranoia tended to both the often-naïve, frank, and open Hodenay. However, in the last year of Salat’s life, during a span in which Marun intended to wed Engwa’s only son, Vict, the two became closer. Engwa performed the oration at Salat’s funeral.

Gloka Unagitsyo

Most notable is Aiza’s friendship with the fiery Zhepin Gloka Unagitsyo. During his time in the retinue of the Royal Archivist, the young Gloka talked to him despite his general closed-off nature and aloofness. They kept a set of letters nearly as extensive as those she sent to the emperor, though only most of her replies still exist, many of the letters from Salat were burnt after she read them.

Khōy Núthfaeř

Khōy never was fond of Salat, though she hated nearly everyone besides Nwa Naekh. Salat especially annoyed her because he dutifully did his job in recording and helping the emperor in his trysts, deciding not to convince him otherwise. However, she still was kind enough to attend his funeral and provide a couple of nice words on his death. Allegedly, she bought his death tapestry as Salat had no wife to weave it.

Dunam Sugishuv

His lifelong partner, though their relationship was secret. They had explosive fights, as was known at least in the few circles who knew them as a couple. However, they would make-up soon after. Salat, being a somewhat generous man to those close to him, also spent much of his earnings on him, including a monthly allowance to get by, still paid by Marun after her father passed. The ring worn by Salat was not for his wife but for Dunan.

Life

2178 2220 42 years old

Gender

Male

Height

5'10"

Weight

234lbs

Belief/Deity

The Niuua Faith, though barely

Aligned Organization

Uganë Empire